In Other Words
by coffee666
Summary: High School AU. Modern AU. Peggy Carter was never interested in the brutish boys that Shield High had to offer, until she met gently, kind, and shy Steve Rogers. Peggy/Steve (rated M for multiple sexual scenes)
1. Uprising

Peggy stood somewhat nervously outside the counselor's office at Shield High School. Her palms were slightly sweaty, so she wiped them on her pleated skirt. She didn't really know why she was so nervous, all she was doing was showing a new student around the school. Maybe it was because of the way the boys in her class treated her. She hoped the new student wasn't like that, but she still felt the need to mentally prepare herself.

Why couldn't they have chosen someone else for this? Just because she was head of the student counsel? It's not like she had a choice when it came to overachieving. She's do anything to prove to the boys how capable she was. She supposed it was all because Shield High used to be an all-boys prep school.

She closed her eyes and took a shaky breath, all to prepare herself for whatever brute she'd be forced to befriend who was waiting just inside the office.

"Hey English!" she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Peggy eyes flew open and she nearly jumped out of her skin. She whirled around to see Angie laughing. Peggy felt her face heat up and she quickly glanced up and down the halls to make sure no one had seen. The halls were empty, as first bell had already rang.

"Angie, you scared the living daylights out of me!" Peggy hissed. Angie clutched her sides in laughter.

"…Sorry English, you just looked so deep in thought." Angie said, straightening up. "Is this about that new student you have to show around?"

Peggy nodded and crossed her arms. "You know I can't stand those petty forced friendships that come from things like this…"

"You're just mad cuz it's a dude." Angie said. "Guys aren't that bad…"

"That's easy for you to say." Peggy retorted. "They always fall all over you…"

"That's cuz I'm nice to them." Angie said, crossing her arms as well. "You should try that too."

"I don't respect anyone who doesn't respect me." Peggy said firmly.

"And I love that about you English…" Angie said softly. "But can't you lighten up a bit around the new boy?"

"I see no reason." Said Peggy. "I'm not looking for any new friends."

"How sad…" Angie said with a sympathetic smile.

Peggy rolled her eyes and checked her watch. Second bell would be ringing in fifteen minutes. She really should be getting inside the office.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" Peggy asked Angie.

"Mr. Collins is being a real drag." Angie said, holding up the hall pass dangling from her wrist. "So I'm taking a bathroom break."

"I thought you loved drama? Aren't you always going on about being an actress?" Peggy said, honestly surpised.

"Mr. Collins holds me back." Angie replied. "But no one can hold me back forever! I really gotta go though, English. Good luck with your new friend!" Angie called over her shoulder as she turned and started back down the hallway.

Peggy turned back to face the office door, and before her nerves could act up again, she reached out and opened the office door.

The counselor had his back to her, but turned around and smiled when he saw her. "Ah, Miss Carter. We were waiting on you. It would do for you to be more ladylike and be on time." Mr. Wayne said.

Peggy felt a surge of rage run through her, and she kicked the door closed behind her with more force than necessary. Mr. Wayne frowned at that but didn't say anything.

"This is our new student, Steven Rogers." He said, and for the first time Peggy noticed a skinny boy sitting cross legged in a chair by the counselor's desk. He had a sketchpad in his lap, but scrambled to close it when she looked at him. He shoved it in his bag and stood up.

"Steven, this is Margaret Carter." Mr. Wayne introduced them.

"It's Peggy." Peggy she insisted, taking his hand when he extended it. It was surprisingly cold.

"And, uh, just call me Steve." He said, shoving his hand in his blazer pocket when Peggy let it go.

"It would do nicely for you two to get going." Mr. Wayne said. "Second period starts in just a few minutes."

Peggy couldn't bring herself to say anything to the counselor, still bitter about his earlier comment, so she just nodded. She and Steve walked out into the hallway and Peggy shut the door behind them.

"I can show you to your next class…if you need?" Peggy said, awkwardly looking at him out of the corner of her eye. He was a lot different than what she'd expected. Shield High put a lot of emphasis on sports, so she'd expected him to be burley like so many of the other boys. Instead, he was quite frail looking. His uniform pants had the cuffs rolled up several times and the sleeves of his blazer went past his fingertips. His blond hair seemed stuck up at the top, and Peggy wondered if he'd just rolled out of bed without caring like so many other students.

Steve reached into his pocket and pulled out a waded piece of paper. He rubbed his eyes for a second before reading it. "It's room 207." He said before quickly shoving his schedule back in his pocket.

"That's this way." Peggy said, pointing down the hall towards a door that led to the stairs. He followed her wordlessly. As they walked, Peggy wondered of she'd really have to hang around him for the whole week, like the office had requested.

"I'm…uh, I'm not actually new." Steve said.

"Oh?" Peggy asked, turning her head to look at him.

"I mean, I used to go here in freshman year." He said. "But I had to leave for a while when I got sick."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." Peggy told him sincerely.

"Yeah, I mean…going here kinda sucked." He said, taking Peggy by surprise. Sure, the students could be a bit barbaric, but overall it was a good school. "I got beat up a lot." He said for clarification.

"What?" Peggy asked, even more surprised.

"They used to beat me up and shove me into those lockers." Steve said, nodding at the row of lockers they passed. "….And those." He nodded at the next row of them.

"Is…is this how you always start a conversation with a girl you've just met?" Peggy asked him, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I don't really know…" he said with a slight smile. He paused to hold open the door to the stairwell and let Peggy through. "I haven't met many girls."

As they started up the stairs, the bell for second period rang. Peggy had already missed first, and she didn't want to get a demerit. She quickly ran up the rest of the way, taking the steps two at a time. Once she reached the top, she glanced back to see Steve leaning against the wall halfway back down. He was breathing heavily and his face was red.

"Are you alright?" she called down to him.

"Yeah." He panted. "Just gimme a sec…" He fumbled in his pocket for a second before pulling out an inhaler and taking a long puff. She felt a pang of guilt for having rushed him, and only hoped that he'd be alright in a minute. She had some CPR training from health class, but she didn't want to have to use it.

As she watched him catch his breath, she started back down the steps towards him. It occurred to her that she may actually have to stick with him for the rest of the week. At first, when he said he'd previously been a student, she figured she be off the hook as it should take him no time to relearn the way around school. But now, watching him look as frail as a mouse and on the verge of an asthma attack, she felt what could only be described as a maternal instinct to protect him.

"Are you sure you're alright?" she asked softly, and he nodded again. She slowly reached out to put a hand on his shoulder, but withdrew it at the last minute. After slumping against the wall for a moment, his face finally began to go back to normal. He opened his eyes and looked at her. They stood there for a minute, just looking at each other. Peggy felt herself turn slightly red, and quickly looked away.

_Well this is a rather cliché situation. _Peggy thought to herself. She bent down and fished through her bag for her notebook.

"Listen," Peggy started as she stood back up. "Since I'm supposed to…help you out this week, I could give you my number in case you needed to get in touch with me?"

"Um, okay…" he said with a nod.

Suddenly, the door to the stairwell opened and a couple of students began climbing up the stairs towards them. It was Bucky Barnes, with Angie right behind him.

"Bucky, you said you'd run lines with me today, right?" Angie asked.

"I will! Don't get your panties in a wad…" Bucky said, waving her off with one arm.

"Hey English, shouldn't you be in class?" Angie asked.

"We were just heading that way…" Peggy told her. She then glanced back at Steve. "You ready to go now?"

Before he could answer, Bucky climbed up the few steps it took for him to reach Steve. He quickly grabbed Steve is a one-armed headlock and began to noogie his head with his other hand.

"Hey Stevie!" Bucky said. "Didn't know you hung around with English."

Peggy felt – something overcome her. She quickly wacked Bucky in the shoulder with her spiral bound notebook.

"James, let go of him! You idiot, he has asthma!" she yelled.

Bucky quickly let go of Steve and held his hands up defensively. "Whoa, I didn't know English was your body guard Stevie…" he laughed.

Peggy felt her cheeks grow hot as she realized they were all starring at her, save for Steve, who was trying to smooth down his hair after Bucky had messed it up. She quickly decided to play it off.

"That's right, I am." Peggy said sternly. "For the whole week. So don't go messing with him unless you'd like to deal with me." She smiled with relief when everyone – even Steve was laughing. Their short lived moment was ruined by the tardy bell ringing.

"Oh, bloody hell." Peggy cursed. "Now we're really going to get it."

"You can go on ahead to your class." Steve said to Peggy. "Bucky can show me the rest of the way."

"Alright…" Peggy said. She began to put her notebook up, before she remembered. "Oh wait – I was going to give you my phone number." She tore a corner off a page in her notebook and quickly scrawled her number down. She signed her name and passed the paper back to him.

"Now, you call me of James gives you any trouble." She said, glaring at Bucky and trying not to smile.

"Will do." Steve said with a smile.

Peggy turned and started down the stairs, with Angie right behind her, while Steve and Bucky went the opposite way. Angie was giving Peggy quite the knowing smirk the whole way down. Finally, as they opened the stairwell door and walked down the hall, Peggy spoke up.

"Just what are you smirking about?" Peggy asked.

"What ever happened to '_I'm not looking for any new friends_.'?" Angie asked, imitating Peggy's accent.

"First of all – that impression is uncanny, and second of all, we're not friends." Peggy said indignantly. "I'm only showing him around for the week."

"Well then why did you give him your phone number?" Angie asked with a smile.

"Aren't you late for class or something?" Peggy snapped, her cheeks reddening. She stopped as they reached her own classroom.

Angie just laughed. "Hey, I gotta work at the dinner tonight. You wanna come by?" she asked.

"I do love the strawberry pie." Peggy smiled at the thought.

"Good. And Bucky said he'd stop by and run lines with me, so…" Angie smirked.

"So…?" Peggy asked, knowing what Angie was about to say.

"So, he might bring Steve along."

"Oh, bloody…" Peggy turned even pinker. "Go to class Angie!"

Angie just laughed as she continued down the hall, leaving Peggy standing alone outside her own classroom. It took a second, but she finally felt poised enough to go inside.


	2. Fog and Storm and Rain

It was pouring outside as Peggy at alone at her favorite table in Angie's dinner. Ever since Angie had started working there last year, Peggy had usually spent most afternoons there doing homework and eating strawberry pie

Though she liked hanging out there, it was a shame that she actually rarely got to talk to Angie. The customers always yelled at Angie for service like she was some kind of robot, instead of a sixteen year old girl. Luckily, with the rain, the dinner was mostly empty.

Peggy stared down at her notebook and tapped her pencil rapidly against her leg. She was supposed to be writing an outline for history, but she was having trouble concentrating. She couldn't stop thinking about what had happened on the stairs. She'd actually hit Bucky Barnes with her notebook. Of course, it wasn't that big of a deal. Bucky was always rough housing with his friends, and everyone laughed afterwards – but still.

"You want decaf or regular?" Angie asked, stopping by Peggy's table with a coffee pot in each hand.

Peggy didn't look up. She just bit her lip nervously and stared down at her paper.

"Hello? Earth to Peg." Angie nudged Peggy on the shoulder with the coffee pot.

"Ah, that's hot!" Peggy jumped and glared at Angie.

"Let's go with decaf." Angie said as she filled Peggy's cup. "You seem too jumpy already. You know caffeine isn't good for anxiety." She looked at Peggy with sincerity.

"Listen, was it weird before? When I hit James on the stairs?" Peggy asked nervously.

"Actually, that was kinda hilarious." Angie chuckled. "Never seen you like that before, really.

"Well, you know how annoying boys can be…" Peggy said quickly, her cheeks reddening slightly.

"Yeah, but at least Bucky is one of the nice ones." Angie said with a smirk as she gazed towards the door. "Speak of the devil…"

The bell on the door rang, and Bucky walked in with Steve right behind him. They were both wet from the rain, Steve looking especially small in his soaked coat.

"You guys swim here?" Angie quipped.

"Very funny." Bucky slid into the seat across from Peggy and Steve took the seat diagonal from her. "I didn't have an umbrella, and we parked kinda far away."

"Aw, and you came by the run lines just for me?" Angie asked in mock happiness.

"Don't flatter yourself, Ang. You know that presentation is half my grade too." He said, leaning back to prop his feet up on the table. Water from his boots dripped on Peggy's paper. She glared at him and slammed her notebook.

"Excuse me miss! Can I maybe get some service?!" a patron called from the bar.

"Coming!" Angie said brightly. She flashed the three of them a 'can you believe this guy?' look, before walking over to him.

Peggy looked over at Steve. His head was down, starring at the table. He seemed to be shivering slightly. She felt a pang of something like guilt at seeing him like this. She pushed her chair back and stood up. She went behind the counter (she wasn't actually allowed to, but Angie wouldn't say anything) and grabbed a towel.

She walked back over to the table and gently draped the towel around Steve's shoulders. "Here, you seem cold." She told him.

"Thanks." He mumbled, blushing slightly.

"Hey, don't I get one too?" Bucky complained with a smirk.

"Get your feet off the table, James." Peggy replied sharply.

After a while, they had all settled into a routine. Angie stopped by their table frequently, to run lines with Bucky, or refill their coffee cups. Glancing up, Peggy noticed Steve was drawing a picture in his sketchbook. Bucky leaned over to look at it.

"You're messing up my lighting." Steve said. Bucky quickly leaned away, with a slight smile on his face.

"That looks really good." Bucky said.

"You always say that." Steve replied, though he was smiling at the compliment.

"I'm serious." Bucky insisted. "Very realistic. You should show it to Peggy."

Steve turned slightly pink. "It's uh, it's not ready yet." He said quickly.

"So?" Bucky replied. "She'll like it."

"It's not ready yet." Steve insisted.

"He doesn't have to show me if he doesn't want." Peggy said. "Quit bothering him, James."

"Why do you always call me James?" Bucked asked. "No one else does."

"Why don't you get a haircut?" She hadn't meant to say it out loud, it was just the first thing she'd thought up.

Immediately Steve began laughing, and so did Angie, who was a few tables away clearing dishes.

"I've been telling him that for months." Steve said.

"Yea, well, so has my mom." Bucky complained. It was obvious that he was trying not to laugh. "But I refuse."

"Alright kids, time to close up shop." Angie said, stopping by their table.

"It really is getting late." Peggy said, checking her phone.

"But we didn't get to do our powerpoint." Bucky said. "I have my computer with me. We can do it now."

"I'm not allowed to have too many people in here past closing anymore." Angie told him. "The manager really gets on my ass."

"Well, why don't you stay, and Peggy and I will go." Steve said.

"But I drove you here." Bucky said. "And it's still raining."

"I can give Steve a ride." Peggy said.

"That's not necessary." Steve said quickly. "I don't wanna burden you."

"It's no trouble. You shouldn't have to walk in the rain." She grabbed her bag and pulled her umbrella out. "And I always remember to bring an umbrella."

A few minutes later, Peggy and Steve were walking across the parking lot squished under Peggy's umbrella. Peggy tried not to think of how cliché that was, as they reached her car.

When they got in, Peggy watched to make sure Steve put his seatbelt on before she pulled out. Since he was in the car with her, she was going to make sure she was extra careful. She vaguely remembered when Angie had hit a mailbox once while it was raining. Peggy would be kicking herself till next Sunday if somehow wrecked and hurt Steve. Just the thought of being responsible for hurting him made her feel guilty. He told her the directions to his apartment, and she started that way.

The silence between them was relaxing. As Peggy drove, she listened to the sounds of the windshield wipers and the low rumble of the road.

"So, how do you like being back at school?" Peggy asked him.

"It's alright." He said. He was hunched over in his seat and gazing out the window. "I mean, it's kinda the same as when I went before. But now there's more girls."

"Right. More girls…" she mumbled. For some reason the thought of him hanging around other girl made her blood boil.

"Yea, but none of them are as nice as you." He said quietly, and Peggy could hear the smile in his voice.

"Really?" she tried to sound casual as they pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex.

"Yea, but uh, just so you know, after this week, you don't have to hang out with me and Bucky anymore." He said quietly.

"But I'd like to!" she said quickly and a tad too loudly. "I mean, I like you guys."

"You mean you like Bucky right?" she could see him smiling in the moonlight. "I mean, that's why you kept picking on him today?"

"What?!" she took both hands off the wheel and turned to look at him. "Me and James? Not in a million years."

"W-well then why are you always mean to him?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"Because he's annoying!" Peggy said. "And he bothers you. It's you…that I like…" After realizing what she said, she turned back and put her hands on the wheel.

The only sound filling the silence was the rain on the windows. Peggy just stared ahead, feeling like her heart was going to hammer out of her chest.

"Are you…are you serious?" his voice was barely audible.

"…Yes, I am." She tried to sound poised.

He moved in his seat to turn the light switch on in the car. Peggy blinked in the sudden light, but didn't say anything. She watched him unzip his bag and take out his sketchbook. He flipped to a page.

"I wanna show you what I was drawing…" he said, passing the book to her.

There was no doubt that the drawing was of her. With fine shading and lines, it was very realistic, just as Bucky had said. As she looked at it, she felt a surge of emotions. It's like she wanted to cry and laugh at the same time.

"This is amazing." She breathed.

"It's not that good…" he said sheepishly. "But you can keep it once it's finished."

"It's not finished?" she asked.

"Well, I still have to add some stuff." He said, taking the book from her and putting it back in his bag.

Peggy took her hands off the wheel again and turned to face him. She'd never kissed a boy before, only Angie a few time in freshman year, but she was certain that she really wanted to kiss Steve right now. He turned to look her in the eye, and from the light she could see how blue his eyes were.

"Can I…kiss you?" Steve asked softly.

"Wait, you're asking permission first?" she'd never heard of anyone doing that.

"…Is that not okay?" he turned slightly pink.

She couldn't help it, she laughed. But only because he was just so cute. She sobered quickly, and leaned in and kissed him. Kissing Steve was way better than kissing Angie, but that was probably partly because she and Angie had both been somewhat drunk when they'd kissed.

Steve's mouth was slightly sweet from the pie they'd been eating at the dinner. It was strangely addicting. She moved her tongue against his lips. For a moment, she thought she'd thought she'd made a mistake, as he pulled away. Then she realized he was unbuckling his seatbelt.

Then his mouth was on hers again. She was actually surprised how quickly he took charge. His tongue moved against hers, and his hands cupped her face. After what could have been minutes or hours, they broke apart. They were both breathing heavily with bright pink lips.

"Have you…ever kissed anyone like that before?" she asked, not sure why she cared.

"No…have you?" he asked.

"No…" she lied.

For no real reason, they just started laughing. It was like all the weird tension from before was gone. It took a minute for them to quit laughing. Peggy sat up again.

"I really like your art." She told him.

"Thanks." He said sincerely. "I could show you some more later on, but now I really gotta go." He sighed.

"I know, it is rather late." She smiled as she watched him gather his stuff. "Here." She reached into the backseat and grabbed her umbrella. "You can bring it back to me tomorrow."

"Thanks." He replied. He stepped out into the parking lot and gave her a small wave before heading towards the building.

Peggy couldn't stop smiling the whole way home. That night, as she laid on her bed and finished the last of her homework, she got her first text from Steve.

'_How do you wash lipstick off your face?' _


	3. HumanNeedDesire

It was still raining the next morning when Peggy was getting ready for school. She prolonged putting on her uniform for as long as possible, to see if the rain would let up. When it didn't, Peggy trudged down the stairs to the lobby with a sigh.

She pushed open the front door, and was surprised to see Steve standing by the door holding her umbrella over his head. She smiled when she saw him.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" she said, stepping under the umbrella.

"Well, it was still raining and I had your umbrella, so I thought we'd give you a ride." He smiled.

"We?" she asked.

"Well, I don't actually drive due to partial hearing loss, so…" he gestured to the lone car in the parking lot. Peggy could see Bucky sitting in the driver's seat. He honked the horn at them.

"Let's go, ladies!" he shouted. "I can't be late or Mr. Schmitt will have my ass!"

"Oh, I suppose all good things come with a price…" she mumble to herself as they crossed the parking lot and got into the back of Bucky's car. "Wait, how did you guys know where I live?"

"We're stalkers." Bucky answered.

"We are not." Steve smiled. "Angie told us."

"Yea, we're gonna pick her up too." Bucky said. "Cuz we gotta be there early for our presentation."

The settled into silence as they drove to Angie's. Peggy felt Steve grab her hand and hold it. She couldn't help but smile.

"So, do you maybe wanna hang out after school?" Steve asked her in a low whisper.

"Sure." She replied. "You wanna go to the dinner again?"

"A-actually…I was wondering if you wanted to come to my place?" he blushed slightly

"Oh...okay." she said with a smile.

He wanted them to hang out alone? All they did was make-out for a bit last night, did that mean they were in a relationship? Of course, what if he just wanted to hang out, nothing serious. She shouldn't get so worked up over nothing. But honestly remembering what happened between them last night made her stomach feel warm and fluttery. Honestly, she'd love it if they could do that again today.

The pulled to a stop in front of Angie's, and Bucky began honking the horn again.

"Come on Martinelli!" he shouted out the window.

"I'm comin', I'm comin'!" Angie shouted back. She opened the passenger door and slid into the seat. She then quickly twisted around to face Peggy.

"Hey English, Are you coming by the dinner tonight. I picked up Stacey's shift." She asked.

"Not tonight…" Peggy glanced sideways at Steve. "I have plans…"

Angie's gaze traveled down to where they were holding hands. She smiled and turned around the right way. "Right, plans…"

"Hey, don't go sucking face in my car? Got it?" Bucky said.

Appalled, Peggy was speechless. Though she didn't have to retort because Steve kicked the back of Bucky's seat hard. Peggy smiled and they drove the rest of the way in silence.

In first period, Peggy watched through half-lidded eyes as Angie and Bucky gave their presentation on Harry Truman. She clapped with rest of the class and Angie sat down next to Peggy. As the teacher was setting up for the next pair to present, Angie turned to face Peggy.

"I bet you're glad you didn't have to do a dumb extra credit thing." She groaned.

"You wouldn't have had to either, if you'd kept your grades up since the start of term." Peggy replied.

"Hey, I work a job. It's all too easy to fall behind." Angie pouted.

"Then why did James fall behind if he doesn't work?" Peggy asked.

"I think he's just lazy." Angie laughed. "So, how about those plans tonight?"

Peggy blushed. "What? Steve and I are just gonna hang out. It's nothing really."

"So what happened with you guys last night?" Angie smirked.

"W-what…" Peggy cleared her throat. "What makes you think something happened?"

"Because I was texting you last night after you left, and you never replied….and you guys were holding hands…and I can see it on your face!" she whispered sharply.

"Alright, alright…he kissed me last night." Peggy whispered, trying not to smile.

"He kissed you!?" Angie raised her voice. A few kids looked in their direction.

"Angie shush!" Peggy hissed, her cheeks flushed.

"He kissed you?" Angie repeated in a whisper. "Was there tongue?"

"Angie…" Peggy groaned.

"Answer the question." Angie was almost too gleeful.

"Fine. Yes…there was tongue." Peggy snapped.

"Oh my god!" Angie squealed.

"Miss Carter, Miss Martinelli, I suggest you keep it down!" Mr. Schmitt snapped. "This is not a time for private conversations."

Though they stayed quiet for the rest of class, Angie kept cutting eyes at Peggy and smirking. When the bell rang, Peggy quickly gathered her stuff and left. She met Steve outside of his art class because she was still technically supposed to be showing him around, and partly because she just wanted to see him.

"So, how was art?" she asked with a smile as she led him to his next class.

"We had to draw something from memory," he explained. "Take a look."

He showed her his sketchpad where she could see a sketch of a car. The shading and blending was very nice.

"I like it." She said.

"I still think I should get better at drawing people." He said, closing the sketchpad.

"Well, maybe I'll model for you this afternoon." She felt weird after saying it. It came out sounding almost erotic.

He gave her an enthusiastic grin. "Alright, I'm down with that…"

She rolled her eyes and playfully shoved his shoulder. The arrived outside his classroom. "Okay, well, I have to go to class…" she waved to him as she turned and went around the corner.

Peggy sat in her next class and thought about what had just happened. How was it that they were already so comfortable with each other if they weren't officially dating? Even if they were, was it weird to be this comfortable with someone you've just met? She'd never been one to text in class, but she sent Angie a quick message.

_Is it weird that I don't actually know if Steve and I are dating?_

Angie replied a few seconds later.

_Well there's this new thing…called asking_

Peggy rolled her eyes and sighed.

_I know but what if I'm just assuming things? What if he just wants to be friends? I don't want things to be weird._

It took Angie longer to reply.

_Would you be okay with just being friends?_

Peggy thought it over for a moment. Would she? The answer felt obvious.

_Yes, I suppose. Honestly, I would do anything to just be around him. It's hard to explain…it's almost like we're best friends already? I'll be happy as long as he's happy._

Angie's reply made Peggy's jaw drop.

_English, I think you're falling in love._

Peggy quickly locked her phone and put it back in her bag. Angie was crazy. There was no way she was falling in love with Steve. Love at first sight was only true in movies. Still, there was definitely something there. She couldn't deny that, nor did she want to.

It took forever for the final bell to ring. Peggy waited by Steve's locker and smiled when she saw him approaching.

"You ready to go?" he asked with a smile.

"Yep." She smiled back.

"Do you mind if we walk?" he asked somewhat awkwardly. "It's not raining anymore."

"Sure, that's fine." She smiled.

The weather outside was actually pretty humid due to all the rain. As they walked, Peggy shrugged off her uniform blazer and tied it around her waist. His hand found hers again and he intertwined their fingers.

"I had a lot of fun with you yesterday." He said.

"Me too…" she replied, blushing slightly.

"I mean, even when everyone was just hanging out at the dinner. It was nice. It's been a while since I've hung out with a lot of friends like I used to." His voice was quiet.

"I'd like to be your friend, even after this week." She said. "And I'm sure Angie would too."

"I know…but I was actually," he took a moment as if to compose himself. "I actually wanted to know if you wanted to be more than friends?"

"You mean like best friends?" her voice was teasing.

"You know what I meant…actually, never mind. It was dumb…" he dropped her hand and looked away.

"No, Steve! I was just kidding." She reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I would love to be official with you…isn't that what they call it?"

He looked at her and smiled. "Really? Awesome." He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards his parking lot. "I guess we ought to put it on Facebook."

"I don't use facebook." She laughed.

"Really? Me neither."

They went inside and Peggy was relieved to be in air conditioning. Steve informed her that the elevator wasn't working, and to bare with him as they would have to take the stairs. They stopped on every floor so that Steve could catch his breath for a moment, and honestly, something about that was so cute to Peggy, she couldn't explain it.

Finally, they reached the fourth floor. Steve leaned against the wall and breathed for a moment, while Peggy leaned next to him and watched.

"You alright?" she asked, giving him a nervous smile.

"Yep." He said, though his eyes were still closed. Peggy took advantage of this. She moved around him, so that one hand was on each side of his head. Their faces were inches apart. He opened his eyes.

"W-what are you doing?" he asked somewhat nervously.

"Well, we've been official for almost ten minutes and you haven't even tried to kiss me yet…" she explained.

"Well, I've been trying not to have an asthma attack." He explained, blushing to the tips of his ears. "They aren't very attractive."

She couldn't tell him that watching him have one on the stairs yesterday had been what made her decide that she wanted to be beside him and protect him always. The apartment door beside them opened and a woman stepped out.

"Oh, Steve, I didn't know you were back." Mrs. Rogers smiled at them

Peggy quickly stepped away from Steve, blushing. She put her hands behind her back and kept her gaze down.

"You must Peggy." Mrs. Rogers extended her hand to Peggy.

"Yes ma'am. How do you do?" Peggy said politely.

"Oh, I love your accent. England, right?" she smiled.

"Thank you, yes." Peggy said, used to that reaction at this point.

"Hey mom, are you going to work?" Steve asked.

"Yep." She gave them a tired smile as she started towards the stairs. "Back to the old grind. You kids behave." She waved at them as she descended the stairs.

A second later, Steve opened the apartment door and pulled Peggy inside by the hand. It was a small, yet cozy place, but Peggy didn't really get a chance to look around, because Steve was gently cupping her face and kissing her.

Though it took her by surprise, she enjoyed it greatly, and kissed him back. She gently moved her tongue against his lips, trying to part them, but was left hanging when he pulled back.

"There. How was that for an official kiss?" he asked.

"You're a tease." She replied, smiling in spite of herself. He only laughed.

His laugh and smile was just so…happy that Peggy felt like she had to protect him forever, and never give him a reason not to smile ever again.

"So, can I take you up on your earlier offer? Please?" he asked. She must have looked a tad confused, because he quickly elaborated. "You said you'd model for me?"

"Oh." Peggy tried to get the immediate dirty thought out of her head. "Okay."

"Just sit down." He said, gesturing to the couch. So she sat, smoothing her skirt over her knees. "That's good, don't move."

It was harder than it sounded, to sit perfectly still while someone draw you. Steve sat on the other end of the couch, facing her with his sketchpad in his lap. She tried to keep staring ahead at a painting on the wall, but she found it hard to keep from peeking at him from the corner of her eye. He was staring down at his paper intently, gripping the pencil in his right hand. It was actually very hot. After another minute, she spoke up.

"Can I see it now?" she asked.

"Don't move!" he said with a chuckle. "It's not done yet."

She wanted to be annoyed, but honestly, she couldn't. She watched him for a bit longer, her gaze snapping back to the front whenever he caught her looking. Peggy's quickly glanced at her bag when she could hear her phone start ringing.

"Don't answer it." Steve said, as if reading her mind.

"But what if it's important?" she asked, trying not to move her mouth too much.

"I'll answer it for you." He said, reaching for her bag.

"What? No!" she tried to reach out and grab the bag, but he was faster. He pulled out her phone and answered it.

"Hello. This is Peggy's phone." He said. "Oh, hey Angie. Uh, she can't come to the phone right now…"

"_Oh no!" _Peggy's heart seemed to stop and her stomach felt like she was going down on a rollercoaster. What if Angie told Steve about what they had been texting about? That was an easy way for this to get messed up fast.

"Steve, give me the phone." Peggy broke her pose to reach out and grab it from Steve. Steve leaned away, turning towards her to hold her back by placing one hand on her shoulder.

"Uh, yea…uh huh..." whatever Angie was saying much have been interesting, because Steve was still leaning out of reach.

"Give me the phone, I'm serious." She said, climbing partly on top of him.

"Oh, well if you're serious…in that case." Steve smiled and handed the phone to her.

"Angie? Are you there?" Peggy asked, somewhat out of breath.

"Geez English, you sound busy." Peggy could hear the smirk in Angie's voice. "Maybe I should call back later…" Peggy heard the click of the line going dead.

"She hung up on me." Peggy said, locking the phone and tossing it onto the coffee table. "What did she say to you?"

"She just asked if we were having fun." Steve said, smiling.

"Well…are we?" she was very aware of how the way she had been acting might have been off putting. What if he didn't want to be official with her anymore?

"I dunno…are we?" he asked, somewhat cockily. She realized she was still partly in his lap when he began shifting below her. At first she thought he was trying to push her off, but then he settled below her. She was now straddling his lap. "Is this…fun for you?" he asked. His timid demeanor seemed to be returning.

"Yes, this is fun…" she said. "I didn't know you were so silly…"

"So, you're not mad that I answered your phone?" he asked.

"No." she said, looking down at him. He was actually laying on the couch with her on top of him. She suddenly felt very warm inside. "I just didn't want Angie to say anything weird to you."

"Nah, she didn't." he said.

"Well…good." Peggy breathed. "Too bad about your picture though…" her gaze traveled to where his sketchbook had fallen to the floor in their commotion.

"I'll finish it later." He said. "Until then, I can take the time to study my subject." He reached up to brush some of her hair behind her ear. The contact of his fingers against her face made her skin all tingly.

"That was quite a line." She smiled as she leaned down and kissed him.

His hand went around to her neck as he kissed her back. Their mouths moved together in perfect synchronization. He tasted so good. She was starting to get that feeling again, that this was so good that she'd do anything just to insure that she'd have this forever.

She let his tongue slip into her mouth with ease, and it moved against hers gently. It was so hot and good, she had suppress a groan. She could feel his hands hovering lightly by her hips, as if he wasn't quite sure what he should do with them.

Her hands moved to grab his. She pressed them down to encourage him to grab her hips. He did, and she actually groaned into his mouth. He groaned back, sending an amazing energy through her body. Their mouths disconnected for a moment, each of them breathing heavily.

He was panting heavily and his head fell back, exposing his throat. She gently ran her tongue along his throat. She was surprised when he laughed.

"That tickles…" he explained.

So she did it a little rougher, lightly biting his neck with her teeth. This time he didn't laugh, but instead he moaned. Her body felt like it was on fire. She slowly rocked her hips against his lap, very aware that she was only wearing knickers under her skirt.

She didn't feel unsure or afraid at this, only more excited. He grabbed her hips harder, rocking his hips up against her. She pressed her face into his neck, breathing heavy. They moved against each other, breathing and moaning.

"Stevie…" she breathed, reveling in the feeling of his cock straining through his pants against her. She could feel that familiar burning building in her groin.

"…Peggy…" he breathed. She felt him shaking slightly.

"Are you okay? Do you wanna stop?" she asked, leaning back up to look down at him. He opened his eyes and she could see how blown his pupils were.

"No…it's just, I'm really close…" his words sounded pained.

"God, Stevie." She could feel wetness pooling in her knickers and that burning in her core peaked. She latched her mouth back onto his neck, sucking lightly as her orgasm burned liked fire through her body. She felt him rut up against her and groan as he came as well. Their loud panting was the only sound in the room.

They finally laid still. She was still on top of him, her head resting in the crook of his neck. He wrapped his arms around her - and though they were skinny, she'd never felt safer. She honestly felt like she could fall asleep.

"So...was that fun?" he asked, chuckling.

She smiled, burying her face into neck, before rolling off of him. She laid on the couch next to him. Her eyes closed and a blissful smile on her face.

"I have to go clean up…" he said sheepishly. She fell him roll off the couch and start walking down the hall.

She opened her eyes and grabbed Steve's sketchbook off of the floor. She leaned back against the arm of the couch and began flipping through it. She found the picture of her he had been drawing earlier. She was again, surprised at the quality. It was barely line art, yet I was still very good. Steve came back into the living room and stood next to the couch.

"Peggy…" he said softly. She looked up at him and watched him pull down the collar of his shirt. "Look…"

She gasped when she saw a small hickey on his neck, about the size of a dime. She sat up, tucking her legs under her body. He sat next to her, and she examined his neck closely.

"Steve, I'm so sorry." She said. The feeling of guilt overtook her.

"Sorry?" he shook his head and chuckled. "It's no big deal. I was just surprised, that's all."

"Does…does it hurt?" she asked, tentatively touching it.

"No." he said, moving to lie down next to her again. They both leaned back against the arm of the couch. "But it's gonna be kinda hard to hide. Bucky's gonna give me hell about it."

"I feel awful." She said, pouting.

"Why?" he asked. "It's really not a big deal."

Why didn't he understand? If she was supposed to be his girlfriend and protect him, she couldn't go and bruise him. Did this mean she was no better than those guys who used to beat him at school?

"Peggy, don't look so upset." He said, brushing her hair behind her ear again. "It's actually kinda hot."

"I promise I won't do it again." She told him.

"Well, if that's what you want." He smiled at her and kissed her cheek.

She smiled and leaned back again, closing her eyes. His arms wrapped around her again, and that guilty feeling faded, only to be replaced by a feeling of contentment. They stayed like that for a while, cuddling and kissing, before finally reluctantly starting on their homework.

Even though Peggy was in AP classes, Steve was able to answer most of the questions on her homework. When she looked at his, she saw that he was actually a grade behind in half his core classes. She remembered him saying that he missed a lot of school for being sick and she felt that guilty feeling again. It was harder to push away this time.

Finally, as Steve walked Peggy home that night, she approached the subject cautiously. "Why did you miss a lot of school after first year? – If you don't mind my asking."

"I got pneumonia." He said. "I almost died. It was pretty dramatic."

"That's terrible!" she exclaimed, reaching down to hold his hand.

"Yeah, but I got better." He smiled at her. "I'm alright now."

"And – didn't you tell me you had partial hearing loss?" she asked, remembering what he'd said to her this morning.

"Yep. That's this ear." He pointed to his right ear. "That's why I'd prefer to keep you on my good side."

"I think all your sides are good sides." That probably sounded lame, but she couldn't help it. It was almost like she was slightly buzzed whenever he was near her – and they were holding hands after all. That seemed to intensify the effect.

He laughed, but was silent again for a moment. "Yep…all that, and asthma. Not exactly a great combination. Girls never wanna dance with a guy they might step on."

"Well, perhaps you just haven't found the right partner yet." Peggy said, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. "Boys never liked me much either – they thought I was stuck up, just because I'd rather think for myself than hang off their every word like a bimbo."

"I guess we we're just meant to be." He said, laughing as if to play it off.

Even though Peggy laughed along with him, she couldn't help but feel as if he was right – that they were meant to be. And as Steve dropped her off at her apartment building and kissed her goodnight, she wondered how on earth she'd gotten so lucky.


	4. Dance Me to the End of Love

"So, it'll be fun, right?" Bucky asked Steve as they leaned against the lockers before the first bell rang on Wednesday morning. Bucky opened his locker and began sorting through it. It seemed to contain more trash and loose worksheets than books.

"I dunno…" Steve tugged absentmindedly at the scarf he wore around his neck to conceal the…mark that Peggy had given him. "Usually when we go to Coney Island, I ride a few things and get sick…and then you have to ride everything else by yourself. It doesn't sound like that much fun."

"Watching you throw up is fun." Bucky said, grinning at Steve. Steve just rolled his eyes and tugged at the scarf. "Why are you wearing that, anyways? It's hot outside."

It was true that when the rain passed, it brought with it thick humidity. Steve had just been hoping Bucky wouldn't say anything about the scarf. Of course, he had no such luck.

"I was cold this morning…" he mumbled.

"Well it's not cold in here…" Bucky said, closing the locker and leaning back against it. "You should take it off before you have a heatstroke."

"I'm fine." He mumbled again, though he could feel sweat building at his temples.

"Are you getting sick again, or something?" the worry in Bucky's voice made Steve's insides turn with guilt.

"No, I just…listen, I'm only wearing it for personal reasons…" he said lamely.

"Personal reasons?" Bucky repeated, as if it were just the funniest thing ever. "What the hell does that mean? Like a hickey or something?"

Steve blushed to the tips of his ears, quickly tucking his chin into the scarf. Bucky howled with laughter.

"Do you real have a hickey?!" Bucky asked.

"Keep your voice down!" Steve hissed, and Bucky just laughed. "I don't know what you're laughing at, at least I have someone willing to give me a hickey." Steve said coolly, and this seemed to shut Bucky up.

"Yeah well…whatever." Bucky said, crossing his arms. Steve smiled beneath the scarf. Honestly, what kind of friends would they be if they couldn't tease each other and give each other hell.

Just then, Steve looked over to see Peggy and Angie approaching them. They seemed to be in deep conversation.

"I just think we should do something." Angie said. "Something fun, I hardly ever get the weekend off."

"That gives me an idea." Bucky said, looking at them. "You two should come with us."

"Come with you wear?" Angie asked, crossing her arms.

"Coney Island." Bucky said, smiling. "On Saturday. It'll be fun."

"I hate Coney Island." Angie said, and Bucky's face fell. Steve's face seemed unaffected from beneath the tuck of his scarf. "I always end up puking."

Steve was about to agree, when Peggy spoke up.

"Aw, but Angie, I think Coney Island is fun!" she smiled. "I haven't been in years…It would be so fun for the four of us to go…" Truthfully, she did love the amusement parks, but she also spoke up because she was trying to make an effort to get along better with James, for Steve's sake.

"Yeah Angie." Bucky spoke up. "Don't be lame."

"Who's lame?" Angie seemed offended. "I'll go if I don't have to ride anything."

"Me too." Steve pushed his scarf down, exposing his mouth and chin. "I always get sick…"

"Oh, so now the both of you are going to be lame?" Peggy asked Steve with a pout. There was teasing tone in her voice.

"Who's lame?" Steve asked, not able to keep the smile from tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"…Why are you wearing a scarf?" Angie asked. "It's nearly seventy outside."

"He's got a hickey." Bucky explain. Peggy gasped, her hands covering her mouth. Steve turned red and immediately slugged Bucky hard in the shoulder.

"Oh my gosh…it's still there?!" Peggy asked Steve.

"It'll go away in a couple of days…" he said, shooting Bucky daggers with his eyes.

"Well, if you want to take that scarf off, I have some make-up in my bag we could cover it with?" she asked nervously.

"I'm not gonna put on make-up." He told her simply.

"Oh, don't be such a boy." Peggy said, digging around in her bag for a moment before producing the compact.

"I'm serious." He said.

"So am I." she said sternly. "You're gonna get a heatstroke."

Instead of arguing, he just quickly tugged the scarf off and wadded it in his fist. He stood stiil, yet nervous, as Peggy applied a thin layer of the concealer on his neck.

"I can still see it." Buck spoke up.

"Well, it's the best I can do." Peggy said, a slightly upset tone in her voice.

Steve examined her handiwork using the small mirror in the compact.

"I think it looks fine." He smiled. "Thanks Peggy."

"So…Coney Island!" Bucky spoke up. "All of us, the whole gang."

"Oh, are we a gang now?" Peggy asked.

"I'm not allowed to be in gangs." Steve quipped.

"Whatever, smartass." Bucky dismissed him. "Listen, I'm thinking we hit the road early on Saturday. Like seven o'clock."

"Keep dreaming." Steve laughed. "You never get up before noon."

"I can make myself get up if it's important." Bucky said. "Better yet…why don't the four of us stay overnight at my place on Friday. We'll be able to get up early."

Peggy blushed slightly. She'd stayed the night with Angie a million times before, but she'd never stayed the night with boys – besides overnight class trips.

"Sounds good to me." Angie said just as the first bell rang out.

They all started towards class, when Steve grabs her hand as they walk.

"Is that okay with you? Staying at Bucky's?" he asked, gently rubbing his thumb across hers.

"Sure, I mean…I just have to ask my parents…" she said, smiling back.

"So, I have a question…" Peggy started, eyeing her mother from across the kitchen as they set the table for dinner.

"Hmm…" Amanda Carter asked absent mindedly, still focused on the task at hand.

"Some friends and I are planning to go to Coney Island this weekend…" she started.

"Oh, that sounds fun." Mrs. Carter smiled. "But you want some money, right?"

"What? No…That's not what I was going to ask for." Peggy said quickly.

"Ah, and that's why you're no ordinary teenager." Mrs. Carter laid down the last plate and crossed the room to start preheating the oven.

"Yes, well, I was just wondering if I could stay Friday night at a friend's, so we can leave early on Saturday." Peggy bit her lip nervously. Her parents were the only people who could break down the layer of confidence and actually make her nervous – well, Steve could as well.

"Who's all going?" Mrs. Carter asked as she flipped through the open cookbook on the counter.

"Me…and Angie…and James Barnes and Steve Rogers…" Peggy rocked back and forth on her heels.

"James Barnes? I thought you didn't like him. I seem to remember you getting into a fight with him a few years ago."

"That's highly likely." Peggy said truthfully, though she couldn't remember that exact incident. "But he's gotten better with age. And his parents will be there." She wasn't actually sure if that part was true, but hopefully her mother wouldn't press the matter.

"And is this Steve a friend of yours as well?" Mrs. Carter asked, turning her back to Peggy to sort through the fridge.

"Actually, he's sort of my…" she couldn't bring herself to say boyfriend to her mother. "Male companion?"

At this, Mrs. Carter shut the fridge and began laughing. She nearly doubled over, holding onto the counter for support.

"Mother, what's so funny?" Peggy was trying not to laugh as well.

"Male companion." Mrs. Carter repeated. "Peggy, you are too much."

"Mum, can I go or what?" Peggy asked, chuckling between words.

"Sure dear." Mrs. Carter said, and for a moment Peggy's heart soared. "But I must speak to James' parents, and Steve's as well."

"Do you really have to be such a mum about it?" Peggy groaned.

"Yes." Was her mother's simple reply.

So that's how Peggy ended up on the couch after dinner with her head buried in the cushions as her mother chatted it up with Mrs. Rogers.

At first Peggy expected it to be a quick briefing, and maybe a few lines of _"Aren't our kids cute together?" _and that'd be the end of it. But it was now closing in on 45 minutes when Steve texted her.

'_Your mom has been on the phone with my mom for like an hour.'_

'_I know. You actually have permission to kill me.' _Peggy replied. She could imagine him laughing in response.

'_I think they're talking about us. Did you actually tell your mom that I was your male companion?'_

"Oh my god." Peggy groaned, rolling over on the couch. Her phone fell to floor.

Finally, after looks from both Peggy and her father, who had just entered the room, Mrs. Carter hung up the phone.

"Nice chat?" Mr. Carter asked teasingly.

"Quite." She replied to her husband, before turning to Peggy. "All the arrangements seem fine to me. But you will need a new sleeping bag."

Peggy blinked in surprise. It was rare that her parents offered to buy her something new. Though, it was justified. She thought of her old sleeping bag shoved into her closet. It was thin and probably too short for her, as she hadn't used it in ages.

"So, when do we get to meet your…what was it? Male friend?" her father asked with a chuckle.

"Male companion." Mrs. Carter corrected her husband.

"Oh yes, Male Companion." He said.

"Oh my god…" Peggy groaned. Her parents had always spoken to her like she was an adult, and for them to joke at her expense brought out what her parents called "teenager mode." She rolled off the couch, picked up her phone and went into her room. She laid down on her bed, and was about to start on some homework, when her phone rang.

"Hello?" she laid back against her pillows and kicked her shoes off.

"Hey." Steve sounded happy. "So, what did your mom say?"

"She said it was alright."

"Cool."

"So, what are you doing?"

"Homework." She suppressed a yawn.

"Me too." He said. "But, I can't really focus."

"Me neither." She grabbed her textbook off the table next to her bed and flips to the correct chapter, before laying it down on the bed next to her.

Their conversation evolves into talking about school. Classes they hated and teachers that assigned too much homework. After a minute, Steve sighs.

"I'll just finish this in the morning." He said, and she pictured him tossing it off.

"You'll regret not doing it then." She smiled.

"Well, whatever." His voice suddenly got serious. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure…" she couldn't help but get nervous at his tone.

"Why were you all upset when you gave me a hickey?"

"I don't know." She immediately blushed. "It just sort of freaked me out…seeing a bruise on you."

He was quiet for a moment. With every second of silence, Peggy felt worse. She hoped she hadn't upset him.

"Oh, that's a shame." He said, his voice was still low. "I really liked it…"

"Oh…" it seemed suddenly very hot in Peggy's room and it took her a minute to find her voice. "…Really?" heat flushed her face when she heard how husky her voice sounded.

"Yea, it was really hot…" his voice was just as hers was.

What was he doing? She wondered if he was trying to be sexy…whatever he was doing, it was working.

"Well, maybe you could give me one next time." She said, deciding to play along.

"You'd like that?" he asked, and she thought it over for a moment. It would certainly be sexy, but what if her parents saw it?

"Sure, it'd just have to be somewhere that no one could see it…like on my stomach, or chest…or thighs..."

"Peggy…" he practically groaned. She smirked when she heard what she was doing to him. Of course, it was effecting her as well. The actual thought of him settled between her legs and leaving hickeys on her thighs made her tremble slightly.

"I wish you were here with me…" she isn't sure how exactly to proceed with this, so she just tells him what she truly feels.

"Me too…" his voice was still low, but now it had a slight tremble to it. "I'd do anything you'd want me to."

She closed her eyes and imagined him there with her. She could practically feel his hands on her. Pushing her blouse up a few inches, she runs her fingertips across her stomach and pretends they're his.

"…I'd want you…to touch me." And it embarrasses her to say it aloud. She feels a blush spread across her entire body. It seems to light a fire in her core, and she grips the blanket in her free hand to keep from actually touching herself.

"I'd do that for you." His breath is labored, and she finds herself worrying about his asthma – but that thought dissipates when he continues. "I'd put my hands all over you…and my tongue."

"Stevie…" she's panting now – and just for a moment, she allows herself to think of him in that way, his mouth moving from her thighs to her center, and his tongue running across her folds.

Her hand uncurls from the blanket and she slides it under her skirt. Her nails scrap lightly over her knickers and against her clit. A shaky moan escaped her, and she quickly bites down on her lip.

"God Peggy…you're so sexy…are you touching yourself?"

"Yes…" And she pictures him doing the same. Her fingers work tiny circles against her clit. She dips beneath her knickers to the wetness gathering there, and is surprised by how wet she actually is.

Her fingers slip past her entrance, and she pictures his fingers thrusting deep inside of her relentlessly. She's physically shaking and gasping. She holds her breath long enough to hear him on the other end. He was moaning lightly and whispering. It sounded like he was whispering her name, punctuated by what sounded like _please._ Just the sound of that made her feel that burning in her core, and knew she was close.

"Stevie…" she gasped. Her fingers barely moved now, trying to prolong that feeling.

"Peggy…" he's seemed to find his voice again. "I'm so close…"

And it's like they're in their own world in which just the two of them exist, connected through cyberspace. Her fingers flew fast across her clit and her orgasm burned through her like fire. She was trembling all over and she can't stop the moans and words that fell from her lips. There was the unmistakable sounds of his orgasm just as hers faded. She listened to him moan her name as he came. The swell of affection it sent through her heart made her want to confess her love to him right then, but she repressed it, choosing instead to let that lame blissful smile cover her face again.

She was still smiling when she heard his heavy breathing fade away, along with what sounded like an inhaler. They were quiet for a moment - just breathing in comfortable silence.

She still had that rush of emotions within her, and she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She settled for laughing when she heard him begin to laugh. She didn't even know what was so funny, but she couldn't stop laughing. She finally sat up, moving her phone to the other ear and sighing with content.

"…Well, that was fun!" his voice was back to normal, and she smiled at that.

"Yes, it was." She giggled.

"The real thing is probably better though…" he said wistfully.

By the real thing…he meant sex. Of course he did – and the thought of actually doing that with him makes that euphoric feeling in her chest swell up again.

"Yea, probably." She said – and they're laughing again.

And then they've settled back into comfortable familiarity. Peggy is doing her homework for science, while Steve does his for history. It's quiet as they work, aside from the occasionally snide remark about the homework questions.

When she's finished with science, she's done for the night. She closes her book and pushes it to the floor with a thud.

"I'm done." She yawned.

"Me too." He sounds sleepy too. "I'll finish this in the morning."

"You'll regret that decision in the morning." She smiled.

"Yeah well, I need to take a shower anyways."

"Me too." Though she actually didn't want to move at all.

"Hey, It'll be like we're showering together." And she could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

"Oh my god."

Finally, they hung up just as Peggy's phone flashed low battery. She put it on the charger before grabbing some pajamas from her dressed and going down the hall towards the bathroom. She sees her father in the living room watching a movie.

"Where's mum?" she asked.

"She went out to get a few things." He doesn't look up from the tv. "She'll be right back."

"Alright." Peggy goes into the bathroom and starts the shower on the hottest setting.

She spends a while under the hot water, just letting the steam fill the bathroom. Then she's washing her hair like normal – and maybe it's because she's weak – but she touches herself again.

Only when the water runs cold, does she turn it off. As she's getting out and drying off, she can hear her parents talking in the kitchen, which means her mother is home. Peggy wraps the towel around herself and darts quickly to her room.

Sitting on her bed, are three packages. It must be whatever her mother bought from the store. In the biggest one is a new purple sleeping bag, rolled up tight. In the next, there's a new pair of white sandals – identical to the old ratty ones she'd stopped wearing.

The third package is a small paper bag with a post-it note on it. She peeks in the bag, and audibly gasps when she sees it's a box of condoms. The pulls the note off the bag and reads it.

_Peggy – I trust you to make smart decisions, just as you always have. I'm not implying I think anything will happen at this sleepover, but if anything does, PLEASE use protection. – Love, Mum._

"Oh my god…" she's too embarrassed to speak.

Though, later that night when she's making a decision of what clothes and items to put in her overnight bag, she carefully opens the box and tears one condom off by the perforation marks and puts it in the inside pocket of her bag.


	5. Art Like Love is Dedication

On Thursday morning, Peggy's alarm didn't go off until almost fifteen minutes past the intended time. Perhaps she had hit the snooze button subconsciously, but she didn't have the time to ponder it. She buttoned up her blouse with one hand, while trying to slip her shoe on with the other. She dashed across the kitchen towards the door, but was stopped by her mother.

"Oh, Peg, I meant to tell you that we're picking Chip up tonight so he can help your father move boxes to the new office. We'll all be having dinner together, so do be home on time, okay?"

Peggy barely registered her mother's words about her brother's homecoming, before slinging her bag over her shoulder and opening the front door.

"Great mum, I'm gonna be late, gotta go…" she slammed the door behind her with more force than intended and started towards the stairs.

By the time she pushed open the lobby doors and started towards her car, she saw Bucky's vehicle in the parking lot. He honked the horn at her.

"Let's go English! We've been waiting for you for like twenty minutes!" he called out the window. Peggy stared at him in slight surprise before making her way over. She opened the door and slid into the backseat. Steve was next to her with a few open notebooks in his lap. He smiled at her.

"Homework?" she asked, putting her seatbelt on before placing her hand on top of his.

"Yea…I couldn't finish it all last night…I was busy." His eyes stared down at the page, but she saw a small blush creep on his cheeks.

"Speaking of busy…" Angie twisted around in the front seat to look at her. "I tried to call you last night but your phone was busy for like, ever."

"Uh...hmm…" Peggy blushed slightly, but didn't bother trying out an excuse.

"Well, I was just gonna call and ask if it's true that your brother is coming home this weekend." Angie said. "He said so on facebook."

"Oh, yes." Peggy nodded. She quickly tried to wrack her brain for what her mother had said. "He has to help my father move something…or something."

"So, does that mean _I _can come over today?" Angie asked sweetly.

"No, I'm not gonna condone you flirting with my brother!" Peggy found it hard not to smile. "It's time to move on, Angie."

"Hey! Wouldn't you like to be in-laws one day?"

"Chip is almost twenty, Angie." Peggy smirked. "One day is a long shot."

"Whatever." Angie didn't seemed phased as she turned around the right way in her seat. "Someone wants me to cover their shift tonight anyways, so looks like I'm busin' tables."

"Are you busy this afternoon?" Peggy asked Steve softly.

"No, why?"

"Would you like to come over to my house this afternoon?" she gave him a small smile. "You can meet my family?" she bit her lip in slight anticipation of his answer.

"Sure." he looked up from his work and smiled at her. "But, your brother…is he nice? I mean, he won't try to beat me up, right?"

"Not if I tell him not to." Peggy reassured him. "Besides, he's only just annoying, really. He's the only person I know who's more annoying than James."

"Thanks." Came Bucky's short reply from the driver's seat.

Peggy giggled as she leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. She was starting to get that same feeling of swelling affection, and she knew it was from the four of them being together like this. She'd never had a staple friend group before. Of course, she and Angie had been friends for years, but sometimes they'd have falling outs where their hangouts came few and far in between. It was nice to be a part of something like this.

*

Peggy's foot tapped impatiently as she waited for the lunch bell to ring. She was always late to lunch on Thursdays and Friday's, because she had health class, and Mr. Wayne just talked on and on

She cut eyes at the clock, and then to the small window on the classroom door. Steve would be waiting for her – why couldn't the bell ring already? Just after, the sweet sound of the bell rang out. Everyone gathered their stuff to leave, and Peggy was just getting up, when Mr. Wayne called to her.

"Miss Carter, can I talk to you for a minute?" Peggy wracked her brain for any reason he might want to talk her. Had she forgotten to turn some assignment?

"Uh, yes sir?" she asked, hesitantly approaching his desk as the rest of t

"I just wanted to talk to you about Steven." He said. "You are still acting as his guide, aren't you?

"Oh," The question took her by surprise. She'd actually forgotten that was the original reason they'd starting hanging out. "Um, yes. I think he's adjusting fine."

"Oh good, so you two are getting along fine? Friends?" He asked. The term 'male companion' flashed in her mind, but she quickly shoved it aside.

"Yes, I'd say so."

"Ah, well it's just…there was a rumor surfacing that you two were involved." He said evenly.

"I – I don't see how that's relevant." Peggy said, her face heating up.

"Just checking its validity." He responded. "I'm glad he's got someone to hang around that's good for him – someone besides James."

"Oh, James isn't so bad." Peggy smiled.

"I'll believe it when he remembers to keep his feet off the desk." Mr. Wayne smiled. "That'll be all, Miss Carter."

She nodded before walking out into the hallway. Steve was waiting for her, and he smiled when he saw her.

"Hey, look at this." He said excitedly, flipping to a page in his sketchbook and showing it to her. It was the same picture of her that'd he'd drawn at the dinner, only this time it was marked with a small red A in the corner.

"Hey, good job." She was actually very flattered that that was the picture he chose to turn in. "But, aren't you upset that the teacher marked on it?"

"Oh, not really." He said, closing the book and reaching for her hand as they started towards the cafeteria. "I mean, I have tons more so it doesn't really matter."

"You have a ton more drawings of me?" she asked, smirking slightly.

"That's not what I meant!" he quickly looked down at his shoes. Peggy saw he was blushing.

"You're so cute!" she couldn't help but exclaim.

"Thanks, I try…" he said, still smiling down at the floor.

*

"This is pointless, I can't read your shitty handwriting." Steve said, tossing his pencil down onto the table where he, Peggy, and Bucky were eating lunch.

"Well, I can't help that." Bucky said.

"You could write legibly, next time."

"Next time take your own notes."

"Whatever." Steve grabbed his bag and began looking through it. "I need my glasses if I'm even gonna be able to read this." He produced a pair of black glasses from his bag and slipped them on his face. He then bent back over his work. Peggy tried not to stare, but he looked so cute, she just couldn't help it.

"I look geeky, right?" Steve asked sheepishly when he caught her looking.

"No, you look really cute." She said truthfully, and he smiled.

"You guys are so cute…it make me sick." Bucky mumbled.

Peggy rolled her eyes at him, before grabbing her half-eaten apple from her tray and looking around for a trash can. She spotted one a few yards away. She reared back and tossed the apple. It landed in the can without touching the rim.

"Wow, nice arm." Steve said.

"Thanks, I used to do sports." She said with a shrug.

"Does majorette count as a sport?" Bucky asked.

"Of course it does!" Peggy said, not sure how he knew that's what she did. Maybe Angie mentioned it or something.

"Hey, about tonight…" Steve turned to her. She could see his blue eyes darting nervously behind his glasses. "Is there anything I need to know? Like what not to say?"

"Not that I can think of." She found it sweet that he cared about impressing her family - though they weren't very high maintenance, and wouldn't mind much, as long as Steve was respectable. "It's just – they're English, so don't try to talk to them about football or anything like that.

"Damn, there goes my conversation starter." He sighed, smiling.

"I'm sure you'll be fine." She gave him a reassuring smile. She realized that she should probably let her mother know that Steve was coming. After sending a text to her mom, she turned the camera on and held it up at him.

"Can I take a picture of you?" she asked.

"Uh, sure." He said. "But you didn't have to ask."

"Just wanted to be polite." She said, snapping his photo and saving it as her background. She always hated it when Angie tried to take her picture without asking, so she didn't want to do the same to him. The bell signaling the end of lunch rang and Peggy put her phone back in her bag.

"Well, time for me to go take a test." Steve sighed, looking down at the notes that he only got half way through. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck." Peggy kissed his cheek.

Finally the last bell rang, and Peggy left her science class and went Steve's locker. He was leaning against it breathing heavy with his inhaler in one hand. Peggy jogged up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, are you okay?" her voice wavered with worry.

"Yea, I just had to run here cuz it started raining." He said, putting his inhaler back in his pocket. His cheeks were still red and his blond hair was mussed up in the front. She reached up and tousled his hair.

"How was your test?" she asked.

"I think I did alright." He smiled as his face returned to its natural color. "We'll see tomorrow."

She nodded and grabbed his hand.

"Ready to go?" He nodded and they walked outside.

Even though Peggy didn't live too far, it was still somewhat cramped as the two of them made their way down the street beneath Peggy's umbrella.

"You should try to remember to bring your own." She told him.

"I didn't know it was gonna rain." He said defensively. She just smiled. It was really more like sprinkling than raining, but Peggy liked being beneath the umbrella with him anyways. It was sort of romantic.

She tried to push away that fluffy feeling in her chest as they approached her apartment building and went it. Peggy hardly ever used the elevator since she only lived on the second floor, but she figured it would be best for Steve.

"We can take the elevator if you want." She said softly.

"No, I'll be fine." He said.

"Are you sure?"

"You shouldn't worry about me so much." He told her as they ascended the stairs.

"But I _like _worrying about you." A small smile played on her lips. "I'm supposed to be your body guard, remember?"

"Oh yeah." He laughed. "I forgot that you said that."

"I said I was for the whole week." She reminded him.

"That's until tomorrow afternoon." He said as if he'd just realized. "Then we're not contractually obligated to hang out anymore."

"We could still hang out anyways." Peggy said as they approached her apartment and she began rooting around her bag for her key. "Because I happen to be very fond of you."

He didn't say anything, but Peggy saw him glance away quickly as a smile broke out across his face. Peggy unlocked the door and they went it. She flipped on the lights revealing the empty living room. Her family would be home until dinner time, which was at least a few hours away.

"So…this is my flat." Peggy said, tossing her blazer down onto the couch. It wasn't all that big, but it had a lot of old fancy furniture from England. Steve took his shoes off and put them by the door, before taking a look at the pictures above the mantle.

"Hey, is this you?" he seemed amused.

"Probably." She glanced over apprehensively to see he was looking at her class photo from a couple of years ago. In it she wore the maroon blazer that was the standard uniform at her old school, along with an unflattering haircut. "Uh, let's not look at these…" she grabbed his shoulders and gently steered him away.

"Oh, that reminds me…" he went to the door where he'd left his bag and dug out the picture he'd drawn of her. "You can have this." He said handing it to her.

"Are you sure?" she asked, looking down at it. The likeness of her own face was beautifully haunting.

"Sure, like I said, I have lots more." He gave her a sheepish smile. She looked up from the picture to meet his eyes. She was starting to get that fluffy feeling again, but she quickly squashed it down.

"Thank you." She said. "I might even have a frame I could put it in." she went to the hall closet and dug around before finding a glass frame that looked about the right size.

"A frame?" he asked. "It's really not that good…"

"Don't be silly." She slipped the drawing into the frame. She then went into her bedroom and hung the picture on the far wall, so she could see could see it from her bed. "See? Perfect."

"I still think the real thing is more beautiful." He said, turning towards her.

"Oh, you…" she smiled at him. That feeling was coming back up again, but this time she didn't push it away. She reached out and grabbed his hand.

"You wanna dance?" she asked softly, reaching for his other hand.

"But there's no music…" he seemed nervous. "And I don't dance."

"Why not? It's not that hard…and I do have music…" Peggy let go of his right hand to press play on her CD player. She hadn't used it in a while, so she wasn't sure was CD was in it. She was relieved when it was Frank Sinatra that wafted around the room. She grabbed his hand again and gently pulled him along with her.

Normally it was the guy who led, but Steve didn't seem confident enough for that. He only gently followed her lead as they spun with the music.

"It's fun, right?" she asked, her voice slightly concerned.

"Yeah." He smiled. "Can I twirl you?" She nodded and he did. That feeling of pure affection was full blown as they danced. She leaned in and pressed her forehead against his. The music slowed, as did their steps. The music finally faded away and they opened their eyes.

Peggy remembered how he'd asked her if he could kiss her on that first night, and how he'd taken charge and kissed her when they were alone at his house. She was now very aware that they were alone at _her _house. Not just in her house…in her room.

He didn't look it, but she knew firsthand how he could be. That's why she decided to kiss him first. Her lips lightly touched his and he immediately responded. His hands dropped from her to cup her face in his hands. His thumbs ran lightly over her cheeks and she could feel her skin heating up beneath his fingers.

Steve nipped lightly at her bottom lip and she enthusiastically opened her mouth, slipping her tongue past his. God, she loved the way he tasted. It was way better than the way Angie described kissing boys – but then again, Steve wasn't just some boy to her. Maybe what made it so good was he was someone she really cared about, and not just some random hookup at a party.

She nudged him backwards towards the bed, making sure to be careful in case he wanted to stop. As he moved backwards, his arms wrapped around her back, pulling her with him. The back of his legs hit the bed and he sat down, pulling her into his lap.

It was hard to remember to take it slow as his mouth detached from hers and starting nibbling down her jaw. She sighed and closed her eyes, moving into him as his tongue traveled down her neck. No words even had to be spoken as she instinctively lowered herself to straddle his lap. She could feel the line of his cock through his pants and they both moaned when she grinded against it.

"Steve…" she said, trying to convey its urgency when she felt his fingers move to the buttons on her shirt.

"What's wrong? Do you wanna stop?" his voice was low and husky, just as it had been over the phone last night.

"No." she assured him quickly. "Just…wouldn't it be easier if I was on the bottom?" there were so many things she wanted him to do to her that could only be done with her laying down. She bit the inside of her cheek nervously, hoping he would understand.

"You wanna switch?" he asked, looking up to meet her eyes. His pupils were blown wide, obscuring the blue in his irises. "Sure, no problem."

He grabbed her by the hips and quickly flipped them over. It took her by surprise, and she couldn't help but make a noise that sounded like a cross between a laugh and a moan.

"Is that better?" he asked. He was now hovering over her. His hands were on either side of her shoulders and her inner thighs were pressed against his hips.

"That's Perfect." She breathed. He leaned down to kiss the soft flesh of her neck once more and she closed her eyes. His tongue moved into the dip of her collar bone and she shivered. He did it again and it drove her crazy. She rocked her hips against him relentlessly as his tongue slithered across her neck like a paintbrush on canvas.

He pushed her shirt up slightly and his fingers moved across her hips, heating the skin beneath them. She reached up between them and went for the buttons on his shirt. As much as she wanted to just rip it off, it was part of the school uniform, so she didn't dare.

After a moment, his bare chest was finally exposed to her. God, he was so gorgeous. She gently trailed her nails down his chest, leaving goosebumps on his pale skin. Peggy gasped when he quickly grabbed her wrist and pinned it back down against the bed above her head. It was quickly joined by the other one. Her breathing was erratic as she look at him looming above her. With his shirt open, and his blond hair falling into his eyes, Peggy had never seen anything more amazing in her whole life.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly when he caught her staring. His grip on her wrists slackened slightly.

"Yes, I just…" Peggy struggled to find the words. She was usually a very confident person, Steve just had a way of making her weak. "I just want you so bad…"

"I know." He gave her that half-smile and in that moment she knew it was possible to fall in love in an instant. "We're gonna take it slow, alright?" he breathed.

"Slow." Peggy agreed. She struggled against his grip on her wrist, wanting to touch his skin again, but was surprised when he didn't let up.

"Just relax…" he leaned down again so his lips brushed against her ear. "I'll take care of you."

This time when his hands slipped from her wrists, Peggy didn't move. She just closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of his tongue against her skin. He pulled down the collar of her shirt a few inches and his mouth moved to just below her collar bone.

She moaned loudly and rocked her hips against him. The friction it created was delicious. Steve moved against her in a rhythm and began unbuttoning her shirt. With his hands busy, his hips stopped moving, and the loss of friction caused her to whimper slightly – and Peggy Carter _never _whimpered.

"Stevie…" she whispered, but then he popped the first several buttons of her shirt open, exposing her plain white bra. It was the kind that hooked in the front, so it wouldn't take much for him to expose her breasts. But instead his fingers just trailed feather-light just below the underwire of her bra. She opened her eyes and looked at him. His eyes pupils were blown wide and he was gazing at her with what almost looked like hunger. In an attempt to get him moving again, she grinded against him again.

"_Please _baby…" she breathed, begging for the first time in her life. She wanted to whimper again when she felt him climb off of her. Peggy leaned up to see him moving to settle himself between her legs. She was shivering with anticipation as he flipped her skirt up. He ran his fingers lightly between her legs across her core.

"…Peggy, you're so wet…" he smirked. She didn't have the time to be embarrassed. She just rocked herself against his fingers, the two of them building up a steady rhythm. She could see his erection straining against the front of his pants, and she wondered how on earth he was standing it. His fingers slipped past her knickers and she moaned almost like a scream when she felt his index finger slip inside her.

"Oh my god, Stevie…" she cried loudly when he curled his finger inside of her. She moved her hips relentlessly and when his thumb started circling her clit, it took all of her willpower not to cum too quickly.

She sat up, ignoring the new angle this created, and wrapped her hands around his neck. She pulled his lips to hers and kissed him roughly.

"Stevie…" she pulled back to look him in the eye, her hands still around his neck. "I have condoms…if you want to…"

"…D-do you want to?" he asked, turning red.

"If you want to." She said.

"You don't think it's too soon?" he asked.

"I think I really…like you, so it shouldn't matter." She was mentally kicking herself for not saying what she actually wanted to say, but she didn't want to risk him not saying it back.

"I really care about you too." He gave her a small smile, and that was enough.

She kissed him again and gently pushed his shirt from his shoulders and let it fall to the floor. He did the same, tossing her shirt to the floor. It was like time slowed down as he pushed her back down onto the bed and climbed on top of her again.

They both began breathing heavily when Peggy reached into the nightstand and grabbed a condom from the box. She pulled him in for a passionate kiss, deciding to let their bodies take over.

It was about half past five when Peggy's family came home. Peggy turned around and looked over the back of the couch where she and Steve were watching tv. Really they hadn't been paying attention to whatever was on. She couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened between them.

Mr. and Mrs. Carter walked in with an arm full of groceries and set them on the counter. Peggy's brother came in right after her and immediately went to the fridge.

"Chip, you just saw me buy all these groceries for dinner, and you're going through the fridge?" Mrs. Carter sighed.

"Mum, I'm hungry…" he said, closing the fridge. "Don't worry, I'll still eat whatever you're cooking."

"Well, I need room to cook in this tiny kitchen." She said, gesturing for him to leave. "Go talk to your sister and her boyfriend."

"Oh, right…her male companion."

"Oh my God…" Peggy mumbled, and she heard Steve laugh next to her as Chip came into the living room.

"Hey baby sister, what are you watching?" he asked.

"Uh…" Peggy looked back at the tv. Honestly, she and Steve hadn't been paying much attention. "I'm not sure…so, how's college?"

"Hard." He went around to the front of the couch and sat down between Steve and Peggy. She glared at him because of this, but he ignored her. "I'm not even declared, you know."

"I'm aware." Her mother had been complaining about her brother's lack of direction for a while now.

"So, you're Peggy's boyfriend?" Chip asked Steve.

"Yes…" he replied softly. Peggy wondered if he was intimidated because Chip was so much bigger than him.

"Are you nice to my sister?" Peggy could tell he was trying to act scary, though she knew he would never really hurt anyone.

"Yes." Steve said.

"Well, good." Chip leaned back and put his hands behind his head. "She needs a good male companion."

"Alright, that's it!" Peggy made sure to speak loud enough so that her parents could hear her in the kitchen. "Nobody else say male companion anymore!"

It was silent for a moment before Steve spoke up.

"Am I allowed to say female companion?" he asked softly, and everyone laughed. She tried to glare at him, but it was almost impossible to be mad at him.

The evening went by without much incident. Though, Peggy kept on her toes incase Chip tried to bother Steve too much. At one point, Chip looked like he might try to rough around with Steve, so Peggy had to hit him with a couch pillow. They ate the chicken that Mrs. Carter cooked, and Peggy recognized it as a special recipe that they only had on special occasions. Peggy's parents also kept asking Steve a lot of questions, but he answered them with a smile.

After dinner they all decided to play cards, and Peggy was surprised by how good of a poker face Steve had. Of course, Peggy's father won most of the games just as he always did when they played cards.

Finally, it was almost eight when Steve's mother texted him and told him he should be heading home. Peggy jumped at the chance to walk him home and get away from her family for a little while and be alone with him.

They walked down the street holding hands just as the streetlights came on. Peggy turned to look at im and smiled.

"What?" he asked, smiling back.

"Did you have fun today?" she asked him.

"Yeah." He said. "Your family is nice."

She wanted to ask him about how he felt about the _other _thing that had happened toay, but she wasn't sure how to bring it up. Luckily, he did it first.

"How are you feeling about…I mean, are you okay?" he asked, squeezing her hand slightly.

"I'm okay." She giggled. "Better than okay, really."

"Well, good." He seemed content. "Me too."

After a minute, they arrived at Steve's building. Peggy leaned against the streetlamp just outside the doors.

"Well, see you tomorrow." Steve said.

"That's right…Coney Island this weekend." She smiled excitedly.

"Yep…it'll be fun." But she wondered how much fun he would have if he wasn't going to ride anything.

Just before going inside, he turned back to her and kissed her. It was fast, but passionate. She felt slightly week in the knees as he gave her a cocky smile and went inside.

On the walk home, she wondered if he'd be free to have another _talk_ on the phone with her tonight.


End file.
